Christian Leonard

Christian Leonard

Data journalist and news developer

Christian Leonard is an experienced reporter who produces data-driven stories and interactive projects. Currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area, he’s worked for the San Francisco Chronicle, the Hearst Newspapers DevHub and the Burbank Leader.

Resume

About Me

I’m currently a developer fellow at the Hearst Newspapers DevHub, where I code project templates and engaging interactives for our local newsrooms. I am also embedded with the San Francisco Chronicle’s data team, covering the city’s overdose epidemic, housing affordability crisis and other topics important to our readership.

After taking an Excel-based data journalism class in college, I taught myself programmatic data analysis and basic visualization while working at a local weekly paper. Since then, I’ve added a number of other digitally focused skills to my toolkit. I’m always looking to learn more about my beats and innovative practices in the journalism industry, teaching myself new skills whenever I can.

A few of the skills I've obtained include:
  • Data Reporting
  • R
  • HTML and CSS
  • JavaScript
  • React
  • News Photography

Experience

Developer Fellow - Hearst DevHub and SF Chronicle
August 2022 - Present

Develop interactive reader tools for the Hearst Newspapers newsrooms, embedding with the San Francisco Chronicle’s data team by reporting on drug overdoses, housing and other topics.

  • Find, clean and analyze data sets to produce 1-3 stories a week
  • Use Datawrapper and custom interactives to create multiple visual elements per article that help the reader better understand the subject
  • Code project templates and engaging visual experiences for our newsrooms, who can then localize them for their unique readerships
Senior Staff Writer - Burbank Leader
May 2020 - June 2022

Was the lead reporter for the Burbank Leader, covering everything from city hall to COVID-19 to elections. Won first- and second-place awards from the California News Publishers Association for my coverage of local government in 2021.

  • Pitched and wrote 4-6 articles a week, including several of the most-read articles on the website
  • Cleaned, analyzed and visualized data to deepen and discover stories
  • Cultivated sources among government officials, activists, faith leaders and other community members to regularly produce exclusives
Digital Intern - NBC Los Angeles
September 2019 - May 2020

Assisted with producing digital content, both by curating material and writing original pieces, to keep a constant stream of new material on the website. Was invited back for and completed a second internship.

  • Wrote articles and utility pieces for a wide audience, with one piece receiving more than 60,000 visits
  • Covered a variety of topics, including the early months of the pandemic, wildfires and the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant
  • Monitored and edited wire stories to find the most relevant and interesting stories for our readership
News Intern - Outlook News Group
June 2019 - August 2019
Contributed to print newspapers in La Cañada-Flintridge, San Marino and Pasadena by writing stories, taking photographs and assisting seasoned reporters, with a particular focus on feature stories and local school districts.

Education

2016 - 2020
B.A. in Journalism and Integrated Media
Biola University
  • Torrey Honors College

Work Samples

Hearst Newspapers Walkability Project
React D3 Mapping
Hearst Newspapers Walkability Project
This interactive map was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Houston Chronicle and other Hearst papers. Using Environmental Protection Agency data, readers can see how "walkable" the federal government says their block is, what factors influence their walkability score and how the rest of the county compares.
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Campaign Finance Dashboard
Data Analysis/R Datawrapper Politics
Campaign Finance Dashboard
During the 2022 midterm election, I scraped, cleaned, analyzed and visualized donation data for four different states, each presenting unique challenges. This tool gave readers a transparent look at the coffers of candidates running to represent them, as well as the ballot measures whose fate they'd decide.
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California Housing/Building Permit Comparison
Data Analysis/R Datawrapper Housing
California Housing/Building Permit Comparison
This story, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, showed how California lags behind many other states in the number of housing units it approves relative to its population.
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Drug Overdose Deaths in San Francisco
Data Analysis/R Datawrapper
Drug Overdose Deaths in San Francisco
This article shows how at least 300 people had died from fatal drug overdoses in San Francisco just three months into 2023.
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Burbank Rent Spikes
Data Analysis/R Housing Local Government
Burbank Rent Spikes
Using data analysis and in-depth reporting, this article shows the extent and impact of the pandemic-related surge in rent prices on renters in Burbank, California.
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Restaurant Clashes with City Over Pandemic Rules
Local Government Field Reporting
Restaurant Clashes with City Over Pandemic Rules
Part of a series that later received a first-place award from the California News Publishers Association, this story describes how a local restaurant owner's decision to return to in-person dining during a COVID-19 surge emboldened conservative protestors in a Democratic stronghold. (Photo by Christian Leonard / Burbank Leader)
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Contact Me

If you have any questions, need a copy of a paywalled article or would like to get in contact with me for any other reason, just send me an email and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!
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